Chemistry has defeated arithmetic in elections: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that chemistry had managed to defeat arithmetic in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

“Elections are all about arithmetic but there is chemistry that goes beyond arithmetic. This time chemistry has defeated arithmetic,” he said while addressing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers at a thanksgiving function in Varanasi.

“Some people say that politics is all about perception but we do not create perceptions. For us, transparency and hard work scores above everything else,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that he was a BJP worker and followed the directives of the party.

“I was asked to come here and on April 25 (for a roadshow) Kashi welcomed me with its ‘Vishwa Roop’ (larger than life image) that had an impact beyond Kashi and Uttar Pradesh. It impacted all parts of the country. Kashi made me PM but I will always remain a worker for you.” Modi said that if he seemed complacent and relaxed during elections, it was because of the love and strength that Kashi gave him. “You asked me not to come again for campaigning, so I went to Kedarnath after polling.” The Prime Minister thanked local officials, media persons and even his electoral rivals.

“I thank the workers for not making the election a war and the rival candidates for maintaining the dignity of Kashi. Elections were a festival of democracy that was celebrated by all,” he said.

He said that there are many in politics whose profile runs into 50 pages or more but they are not connected to the poorest of the poor. “We are dedicated to such people,” he said.

“Uttar Pradesh has elected us in 2014, 2017 and in 2019 and deserves to be lauded for this hat trick which is not a small feat,” he added.

Modi said that it was the BJP which had maximum belief in democracy.

“When we are in power, the opposition comes alive. Tripura, for years, had no opposition but now that BJP is in power, the opposition is vibrant.” He said that the BJP had two main difficulties — selective sensitivity and political untouchability.

“BJP workers are being attacked. When I was the Gujarat Chief Minister and reached out to some people to promote tourism, I was attacked. This mentality is disturbing.” The Prime Minister also thanked BJP President Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for their contribution in ensuring the BJP’s success in elections.

India will not invite Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to Thursday’s swearing-in ceremony of Modi, who starts his second term as India’s prime minister, two sources in the foreign ministry said, suggesting any early warming in ties between the nuclear-armed neighbours is unlikely.

Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan have fought three wars since both won independence from Britain in 1947, and came close to a fourth in February after a suicide attack by a Pakistan-based militant group killed at least 40 Indian police in the contested Kashmir region.

An Indian government statement on Monday said the leaders of Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, and Bhutan — all members, with India, of the little-known Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) — have been invited to Modi’s swearing-in. “This is in line with Government’s focus on its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy,” a government spokesman said.

The leaders of Kyrgyzstan and Mauritius have also been invited, but two sources in Indian’s foreign ministry said Pakistan will not be on the list, without providing further information.

For the swearing-in ceremony for Modi’s first term in 2014, all nations from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), that includes Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Maldives, were invited.

In 2014 Pakistan’s then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attended the ceremony, to the anger of some of Modi’s Hindu-nationalist allies.

Modi and Khan both claimed their air forces carried out air strikes in enemy territory in March, to the alarm of world powers.

Modi, who was widely believed to have benefited politically from the stand-off, won a second term with an increased majority in a general election whose results were declared last week. Khan called Modi on Sunday to congratulate him on his win.

Agencies